Conventional analyzers are known which are capable of operating in a normal processing mode performing sequential analysis of a plurality of specimens and in an interrupting mode performing analysis of an urgent specimen (for example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2001-153872).
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2001-153872 discloses a automated urine analyzer constructed such that an urgent specimen container holder is movable between an urgent specimen container placement position and dispensing position.
In this automated urine analyzer, since the user must manually move the urgent specimen container holder from the dispensing position to the placement position to assay the urgent specimen, a problem arises in that the operation of placing the urgent specimen container is complicated. Specifically, the operation is not simple since the operation is performed while the urgent specimen container is held in the hand.
In this automated urine analyzer, there is a possibility that the specimen suction nozzle may be damaged when the user moves the urgent specimen container holder while the specimen suction nozzle, which is used for suctioning the urgent specimen, is inserted in the urgent specimen container.
Furthermore, this automated urine analyzer does not take into consideration that an assay of an urgent specimen may be started when an urgent specimen container has not been placed in the urgent specimen container holder, and under this circumstance the automated urine analyzer performs a wasteful operation since an urgent specimen cannot be suctioned.